Friday, May 24, 2013

THIS WEEK'S GIVEAWAY

Infused with history and mystery, this tale of ghosts, love, and murder takes place in present-day Gettysburg, where the Civil War still looms large.

Lori Chase doesn't know what to think about ghosts. She may have seen a few in the past, but those were just childish imaginings...right? Only now that she is living in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, spirits seem to be on everyone's mind. The town is obsessed with its bloody Civil War history, and the old inn that Lori's parents run is supposedly haunted by the souls of dead soldiers.

Then Lori meets one such soldier--the devastatingly handsome Nathaniel Pierce. Nathaniel's soul cannot rest, and he desperately needs Lori's help. Because Nathaniel was not killed in the famous battle. He was murdered. Lori begins to investigate the age-old mystery, stumbling upon shocking clues and secrets.

At the same time, she can't help falling for Nathaniel, just as he is falling for her....

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Rebel Spirits?

Lori and Nathaniel are desperately in love, despite the fact that one's very much alive, and the other's been dead for a century and a half. Whether or not you believe in ghosts, or life after death, or reincarnation, anyone with a beating heart has to believe that true love triumphs over all these obstacles. The question is, how?

After the Contamination-an epidemic caused by the super-trendy diet drink SlimPro that turned ordinary citizens into violent, uncontrollable creatures-the government rounded up the "Connies" to protect the remaining population. Now, two years later, the rehabilitated are being allowed home, complete with shock collars that will either control, or kill, them.

Velvet Ellis has struggled to care for her ten-year-old sister since her parents were taken in the round up. When she finds her mother in one of the "Kennels," Velvet resolves to do whatever it takes to put her family back together. But the danger isn't over. It's beginning all over again.

Gritty and grabbing, Contaminated is a harrowing, emotionally charged novel for fans of Carrie Ryan and The Walking Dead.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Contaminated?

My favorite thing about Contaminated is thinking up all the ways the world might change when faced with an outbreak of this sort -- everything from something simple like not being able to find pizza rolls in the supermarket to the movie and television industry being ruined because so many actors and actresses were lost to the Contamination. I love imagining the worst (and best!) outcomes to different scenarios, and Contaminated let my brain have free reign to scare myself!

LAST WEEK'S GIVEAWAY WINNERS

"With PRAEFATIO, Georgia McBride proves that you can take any genre to a higher level. This is teen fantasy at its most entertaining, most heartbreaking, most compelling. Highly recommended." -Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of ROT & RUIN and FIRE & ASH

Seventeen-year-old Grace Ann Miller is no ordinary runaway. After having been missing for weeks, Grace is found on the estate of international rock star Gavin Vault, half-dressed and yelling for help. Over the course of twenty-four hours Grace holds an entire police force captive with incredulous tales of angels, demons, and war; intent on saving Gavin from lockup and her family from worry over her safety. Authorities believe that Grace is ill, suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, the victim of assault and a severely fractured mind. Undeterred, Grace reveals the secret existence of dark angels on earth, an ancient prophecy and a wretched curse steeped in Biblical myth. Grace's claims set into motion an ages-old war, resulting in blood, death and the loss of everything that matters. But are these the delusions of an immensely sick girl, or could Grace's story actually be true? Praefatio is Grace's account of weeks on the run, falling in love and losing everything but her faith. When it's sister against brother, light versus darkness, corrupt police officers, eager doctors and accusing journalists, against one girl with nothing but her word as proof: who do you believe?

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Praefatio?

One of my favorite things about PRAEFATIO is the notion that of all the things we know, there is still so much we do not know. This is true about ourselves, about the world, about the things beyond this world, etc. PRAEFATIO asks if we are ready to consider that what we've been taught and told to believe may not be entirely true. And, if all the evidence points to something peculiarly incredulous, would you believe it anyway?

The Book of Broken Heartsby Sarah OcklerHardcoverSimon PulseReleased 5/21/2013

Winner: Sarah G. Marsh

When all signs point to heartbreak, can love still be a rule of the road? A poignant and romantic novel from the author of Bittersweet and Twenty Boy Summer.

Jude has learned a lot from her older sisters, but the most important thing is this: The Vargas brothers are notorious heartbreakers. She's seen the tears and disasters that dating a Vargas boy can cause, and she swore an oath-with candles and a contract and everything-to never have anything to do with one.

Now Jude is the only sister still living at home, and she's spending the summer helping her ailing father restore his vintage motorcycle-which means hiring a mechanic to help out. Is it Jude's fault he happens to be cute? And surprisingly sweet? And a Vargas?

Jude tells herself it's strictly bike business with Emilio. Her sisters will never find out, and Jude can spot those flirty little Vargas tricks a mile away-no way would she fall for them. But Jude's defenses are crumbling, and if history is destined to repeat itself, she's speeding toward some serious heartbreak-unless her sisters were wrong?

Jude may have taken an oath, but she's beginning to think that when it comes to love, some promises might be worth breaking.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about The Book of Broken Hearts?

Okay, so... the cute motorcycle boy hotness was definitely a contender, but... my favorite thing about the book is that it gave me an opportunity to explore different Latino cultures--Argentine and Puerto Rican--through characters dealing with challenges outside of their ethnic, racial, or cultural heritage. Often authors who write characters of color are expected to write an "issue" book -- to take a stand on something like immigration or racism, for example. Those stories are important, but so are the every day stories, the quiet stories of love and loss and friendship and connection that all of us experience. When I set out to write about the Hernandez and Vargas families, I wanted readers to meet these characters and immerse themselves in their respective cultures through the universal kinds of things that unite us--things like food, language, family traditions, humor, love. In The Book of Broken Hearts, main character Jude struggles to understand her father's deterioration from early onset Alzheimer's and to accept her complicated feelings for Emilio, a boy from a family she's been ordered to avoid since childhood. Emilio is dealing with his own unresolved grief and family issues over personal tragedies from his past. Regardless of their skin color or ethnicity or cultural family history, both teens face tangled emotions, make lots of mistakes, and question their place in life as they get to know and fall for each other.

After writing passionately about the importance of diversity in YA fiction, I was excited to write a YA novel with a diverse cast of characters, and I can't wait for readers to meet Jude, Emilio, and their families and friends! (Also--a little advanced warning--readers may want to have empanadas on hand before cracking open this book. Argie food makes regular appearances!)

Skye wants to meet the boy who will change her life forever. Seth feels their instant connection the second he sees her. When Seth starts talking to Skye at the last beach party of the summer, it's obvious to both of them that this is something real. But when Seth leaves for college before they exchange contact info, Skye wonders if he felt the same way she did-and if she will ever see him again. Even if they find their way back to each other, can they make a long-distance relationship work despite trust issues, ex drama, and some serious background differences?

Teen favorite Susane Colasanti returns to the alternating-voice style of her beloved debut When It Happens in this Serendipity-inspired story about summer, soul mates, and the moments that change our lives forever.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about All I Need?

My favorite thing about All I Need is the alternating girl/boy perspectives. While I was writing my first novel, When It Happens, I loved using alternating girl/boy perspectives to tell both sides of the story. I always wondered what the boy was thinking when I read teen novels back in high school. Did he like the girl? What did he talk about with his friends? What did his room look like? I wanted to know the boy's side of the story so desperately that I promised myself I would tell it if I ever wrote a teen novel. That's why I was stoked to return to the alternating points-of-view style with All I Need.

Another thing that was so fun about writing All I Need was including a main boy character who is in college. I would have loved to read about characters in college when I was a teen! Opening the world of my characters in that way took this story to a whole other level. Hopefully my readers will enjoy the adventure as much as I did.

CAN TESSA POSE AS MADISON . . . AND STOP A KILLER BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE? Tessa is a Variant, able to absorb the DNA of anyone she touches and mimic their appearance. Shunned by her family, she's spent the last two years training with the Forces with Extraordinary Abilities, a secret branch of the FBI. When a serial killer rocks a small town in Oregon, Tessa is given a mission: she must impersonate Madison, a local teen, to find the killer before he strikes again. Tessa hates everything about being an impostor-the stress, the danger, the deceit-but loves playing the role of a normal girl. As Madison, she finds friends, romance, and the kind of loving family she'd do anything to keep. Amid action, suspense, and a ticking clock, this super-human comes to a very human conclusion: even a girl who can look like anyone struggles the most with being herself.

Author Question: What is your favorite thing about Imposter?

My favorite thing about Impostor is without a doubt its main character Tessa. Despite her extraordinary abilities (she can absorb the DNA of other people and take on their appearance), her longing for love and for a loving family is one most of us can relate to. While writing Impostor, I sometimes just wanted to give her a hug. But Tessa is strong. Somehow I knew she wouldn't give up no matter what.

IN STORES NEXT WEEK WITH AUTHOR INTERVIEWS

1. You will remember to water the azaleas.
2. You will take detailed, accurate messages.
3. You will call your older brother, Denny, if even the slightest thing goes wrong.
4. You and your best friend/bandmate Lukas will win Battle of the Bands.
5. Amid the thrill of victory, Lukas will finally realize you are the girl of his dreams.

Things that actually happen:

1. A stranger calls who says he knew your sister.
2. He says he has her stuff.
3. What stuff? Her stuff.
4. You tell him your parents won't be able to.
5. Sukey died five years ago; can't he?
6. You pick up a pen.
7. You scribble down the address.
8. You get on your bike and go.
9. Things . . . get a little crazy after that.*
*also, you fall in love, but not with Lukas.

My favorite thing about WILD AWAKE-and the more I hear from readers, the more I am realizing that many, many people feel the same way-is the sheer joyous abandon of Kiri and Skunk's love. It infects their entire universe-the flower petals, the rain, the fruit they eat, the tea they drink, the colors and sounds they hear. When you're with someone you love, it's like tuning into this amazing new radio frequency that not everyone can hear. The whole word is animated and illuminated by it. There's nothing else like it in the world.

Even though WILD AWAKE is a pretty dark book in some ways, it's the surging, rushing, inevitablity of love that comes to mind when I think about it, and what I hope readers will remember.

MORE RELEASES IN STORES NEXT WEEK

In this sequel to MONUMENT 14, the group of survivors, originally trapped together in a superstore by a series of escalating disasters, has split in two. Most of the kids are making a desperate run on their recently repaired school bus for the Denver airport where they hope to reunite with their parents, be evacuated to safety, and save their dying friend.

But the world outside is dark and filled with dangerous chemicals that turn people into bloodthirsty monsters, and not all the kids were willing to get on the bus. Left behind in a sanctuary that has already been disturbed once, the remaining kids try to rebuild the community they lost. But when the issues are life and death, love and hate, who can you really trust?

Frenchie Garcia can't come to grips with the death of Andy Cooper. Her friends didn't know she had a crush him. And they don't know she was the last person with him before he committed suicide. But Frenchie's biggest concern is how she blindly helped him die that night.

Frenchie's already insane obsession with death and Emily Dickinson won't help her understand the role she played during Andy's one night of adventure. But when she meets Colin, she may have found the perfect opportunity to recreate that night. While exploring the emotional depth of loss and transition to adulthood, Sanchez's sharp humor and clever observations bring forth a richly developed voice.

After accidentally unleashing the gods from their captivity on Olympus, Helen must find a way to re-imprison them without starting a devastating war. But the gods are angry, and their thirst for blood already has a body count.

To make matters worse, the Oracle reveals that a diabolical Tyrant is lurking among them, which drives a wedge between the once-solid group of friends. As the gods use the Scions against one another, Lucas's life hangs in the balance. Still unsure whether she loves him or Orion, Helen is forced to make a terrifying decision, for war is coming to her shores.

In Josephine Angelini's compelling conclusion to the masterfully woven Starcrossed trilogy, a goddess must rise above it all to change a destiny that's been written in the stars. With worlds built just as fast as they crumble, love and war collide in an all-out battle that will leave no question unanswered and no heart untouched.

I won a couple books a few weeks ago (The Magic Violinist), and I was wondering if they were sent. I just wanted to make sure I gave you the right mailing address! (Wouldn't want them to get lost in the mail)! ;)

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LOVE FOR TWO LIFETIMES by MARTINA BOONE

Everything, Everything meets Nicholas Sparks: Chasing clues in her mother’s unsent love letters, Izzy steps into a world of English royalty to find her father and falls in love with a young aristocrat—only to discover he may be her brother...

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